Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital e-Edition of The Republican Herald on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at republicanherald.com or on our mobile apps.

Article Tools

U.S. Reps. Tim Holden, Lou Barletta and Sen. Bob Casey are willing to forgo their salaries if the federal government shuts down, though they differ on how far they will go to avoid getting paid.

Holden, D-17, said he is in favor of not paying lawmakers if the government shuts down.

"I wholeheartedly think we should not get paid and, if we do get paid, I will donate mine to charity," Holden said. "It's a rule that you can't not take it, but I certainly would either give it back or give it to charity."

A spokesman for Casey, a Democrat, said the senator will not take a salary even if Congress does not pass a bill barring paying its members.

Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, is unsure if the Constitution allows rejecting pay without an act of Congress.

All three back legislation to stop paying members of Congress during a shutdown. The shutdown would come at midnight tonight if Congress fails to pass a spending bill for the rest of the budget year, which ends Sept. 30. Since Oct. 1 of last year, Congress has passed a series of continuing resolutions to keep the federal government operating.

Stopgap stalled

Holden and Barletta voted Thursday for a House Republican bill that passed largely along party lines and would continue to fund government operations for another week. The legislation would also fund the Pentagon through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Fifteen Democrats, including Holden, voted for the bill, while six Republicans voted against it.

Holden said he voted for the stopgap today because it guaranteed fully funding the military through the year.

"I wanted to send a message out to our brave men and women that we support them," Holden said Thursday, adding that he fully expects the Senate to not go along with the measure.

Casey is co-sponsoring similar pending Senate legislation, but that says nothing about keeping the government open beyond tonight. The Senate has not passed a bill similar to the House's.

Furloughs loom

As the possibility of a shutdown loomed, members of Congress tried to determine which of their staff members are considered essential - meaning they would work without pay during a shutdown - and non-essential - meaning they would be temporarily furloughed.

"We are in the process of finalizing procedures, but services we could legally provide to constituents would be severely limited and we will only have a skeleton staff able to work," Larry Smar, Casey's deputy chief of staff, wrote in an email.

Holden said he also supports giving federal workers retroactive pay for continuing to work if the government shuts down.

"If they are working, then I think they should get paid," he said. "I have 7,000 federal employees in my district who may not get paid and that is a terrible thing."

As far as his staff, Holden believes they are essential employees.

"I wouldn't have hired them if the position wasn't essential and I will need them now more than ever," Holden said. "They will be fielding phone calls from constituents with concerns."

Pay not optional

Casey will not accept his pay during a shutdown regardless, Smar said. Casey is one of 15 co-sponsors of a Senate bill passed March 1 to forbid paying the president or members of Congress during a shutdown.

Barletta, who has only hired 13 of the 18 people he may hire, considers his office understaffed and does not plan to immediately furlough anyone, but will freeze hiring, said Shawn Kelly, his spokesman.

"Lou's district office in Hazleton will remain open," Kelly wrote in an email.

Barletta said his "essential workers" would work and be paid retroactively once the impasse is resolved. His non-essential workers will be furloughed, become eligible for unemployment insurance and would not be paid retroactively, he said.

Last week, Barletta voted for the Government Shutdown Prevention Act, which, in part, would prohibit payment of members during a shutdown. The Senate has not acted on the bill so it is not the law.

Barletta was unsure if he could constitutionally refuse his salaries if no bill barring payment passes.

"I think you can donate it," Barletta said. "You can do anything with your own pay, if you want."

He demurred on a question of what he would do.

Divided government

President Barack Obama has rejected signing another temporary funding resolution and Barletta said last week he would not back one. But Barletta said he changed his mind so the Department of Defense spending bill could pass.

Holden said he thinks shutting down the government is simply a bad idea.

"Shutting down the government should not be an option. It failed in the past and it won't work now," Holden said. "I think the Republicans should just declare victory. They wanted $61 billion in spending cuts, they are getting $33 billion, that is what the White House and Senate agreed to and that is more than half. I think that is a victory."

"The main point is this is totally avoidable," Holden said. "A divided government can be good but when things don't work out, you can't say I'm going to take my bat and ball and go home. In the past, we (Democrats) had many disagreements with President Bush, but we didn't shut government down, we worked through the disagreements."

"The speaker knows what he has to do. Let his tea party vote 'no' (to the budget). There are enough moderate conservative Democrats like myself to give him the 'yes' votes he needs. I would definitely vote 'yes' on $33 billion. That's a substantial reduction," Holden said.

The office of Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, issued a statement that did not address his intentions about taking salary during a shutdown, but quoting him as saying said he hopes congressional leaders could find a "fiscally responsible compromise" and "continue to address the nation's pressing issues."

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.